There’s nothing quite like welcoming family and friends into your home to share good food and meaningful moments. But have you ever stopped to think about how much water is used while entertaining? From prep to cleanup, water plays a central role in bringing gatherings to life – and that can lead to a spike in water use. But it doesn’t have to!
Why does saving water – even while entertaining – matter in the first place? Water availability continues to be an ongoing issue across the Lone Star State. Martha Wright, San Antonio Water System conservation manager, said extensive planning takes place at the city, regional, and state levels to ensure water resources meet the needs of future generations.
“I think that’s where conservation plays a huge role is that every gallon of water we save prevents us from having to get more supplies and having to go find those supplies which are harder to come by,” she explained.
Conserving water at home not only helps secure future water supplies, she said it also helps keep your bills low, too.
“Most customers want to watch how much water they use to keep their bills affordable for their household. We have customers who notice that their use does go up drastically when they’re entertaining,” she said.
So, whether you’re hosting a party, celebrating a holiday or just gathering with loved ones, choosing to conserve can make a big difference! We connected with three experts from SAWS, who are charged with managing municipal conservation programs for Texas’ second-largest city, to bring you these four water-saving tips for sustainable gatherings – plus one of our own.
1. Plan ahead!
While planning ahead may seem like an obvious step in preparing for a gathering, smaller details—like thawing food—can easily be overlooked. Opting to thaw foods in the refrigerator rather than in water can cut down on unnecessary water usage. If you do need to use water to thaw something, don’t let it go to waste—use the leftover water for your plants instead of pouring it down the drain.
2. The dishwasher is your friend
Sure, dishwashers can help you save time when it comes to cleaning up after entertaining guests. But did you know they can help you save a significant amount of water? According to Cascade, hand-washing a load of dishes can use up to 24 gallons of water. Washing a load of dishes in a modern, efficient dishwasher uses less than 5 gallons per cycle. So, use that dishwasher – even if it isn’t fully loaded (of course, running full loads is always ideal.)
3. Scrape – don’t rinse
Take your water-conscious entertaining a step further with one of SAWS top promoted tips: skip the pre-rinsing step before loading your dishwasher. Instead of rinsing each plate, simply scrape off food scraps into the compost bin or trash. Research shows that modern dishwashers clean effectively without the need for pre-rinsing. Cutting out this extra step not only helps save water, it’s also better for sewer lines.
4. Pick the right fill setting on your washer
Hosting overnight guests often means extra linens and additional loads of laundry. To minimize water waste, adjust your washer’s fill settings based on the size of each load – even if you have a high-efficiency machine. By optimizing the fill level, you can reduce the amount of water used during the wash and rinse cycles.
5. Reduce food waste
Of course, we had to add reducing food waste to the list! Delicious food is often the heart of many gatherings. But leftover food that ultimately ends up in the garbage wastes water by depleting water and other resources used to grow it. Texas farmers are hard at work growing more with less. You can join in on the effort to further help conserve water by taking sustainable steps to reduce food waste while entertaining – and save money in the process. Get started with these simple tips from USDA.
While these tips are sure to help you become a water-conscious host, they’re applicable all year long. Find more ways to save water at home here. Discover lawn and garden and other conservation tips from SAWS’ Garden Style San Antonio.
